Apricot splitter using rotating holder and yieldable knife



@ct, W, 1950 J. c. STROEVE APRICOT SPLITTER USING ROTATING HOLDER ANDYIELDABLE KNIFE Filed. Oct. 21, 1947 2 Sheets-=Sheet 1 Get. 10, 1950 J.c. STROEVE APRICOT SPLITTER usms ROTATING HOLDER AND YIELDABLE KNIFE 2She'ts-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 21, 1947 @EEQRR Patented ct.

APRICOT SPLITTER USING ROTATING HOLDER AND YIELDABLE KNIFE John C.Stroeve, Sumner, Wash.

Application October 21, 1947, Serial No. 781,236

(]. PIG-72) 4 Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to the fruit packing industry andparticularly to a machine for splitting apricots and other fruit.

The main object is to construct a splitting machine by means of whichfruit may be quickly and accurately cut in the most desirable plane inorder to obtain a high grade therefrom.

I accomplish these and other objects in the manner set forth in thefollowing specification as illustrated *in the accompanying drawings inwhich Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the machine showing the grippersready to engage an apricot; I

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. lbut showing the grippers engaging-theapricot.

Fig. 3 is a section takenalong the line 3+3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken along the apricot halves to dropout, and showing in dotted lines the grippers ready to pick up the nextapricot.

Fig. 6 is a'vertical section taken alon-g'the line 5 in Fig. 1 showingthe gripper arms swung toward and away from the splitting knife indotted and full lines.

Fig. 7 is a section along the line 7-1 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a section along the line 8-8 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a development of the cam.

Like numbers of reference refer to the same or similar parts throughoutthe several views.

Referring in detail to the drawing, there is shown a table I9 upon whichis secured a base i I. By means of the bolts I2 formed on the base I Iare the upright standards I3, across the upper ends of which journals arock shaft I5, in whose slot I5 are disposed the upper ends ll of thearms I8, on whose lower ends I9 are the ears 25 on whose shafts 2I areplaced the retaining nuts 22.

On the hub 23 of each gear are mounted the inwardly pointing spikes orpins 24 which are sharpened to permit easy engagement with the fruit 25.

The shaft I5 is provided with a series of perforations I5A for the bolts26 which support the arms I8 and provide an adjustment for the armpivots 26.

Mounted across the arms I8 is a roller 21 whose ends 26 journal in thelugs 29 formed on the arms I8. Each roller portion 21 has a compressionspring 35 mounted on the outerside of the lug- 29 and held in place by anut 3 I.

Also extending through the arms I8 are the screws 32 which are locked inposition by the nuts 33. I

Journaling in the standards I3' is a cam shaft 34 on the middle of whichis secured a cam 35 which is somewhat pear-shaped in its side elevation,having its end 36 curved at radius struck from the cam axis. The camsides 3? and 38 are slightly convex, while the side 38A is substantiallya semi-circleQ The cam 35 has two raised lands 39 on opposite sidesthereof, each of which has an approach 48 which connects the thinnerpart M of the cam 35 with the thicker raised portion 39. Y

The shaft has secured on one end a collar 42 and at the other end asprocket wheel 45 whose chain 45 passes around the sprocket pinion 45secured on the revolvable shaft 46 which journals in the plates 4'!whose bolts 4.8 are disposed within the slots 49 formed in the standardsI3.

A spring secured to a pin 5I in the collar 52 and to a pin 53 urges thearms I8 toward the standards I3, that is, urges the roller 21 towardsthe cam 35. I

The slots 45 are arcuate on the axis ofthe shaft I5, thereby making theaxis of the shaft 46 adjustable. I

A post 54 is mounted on the base II and has pivotally mounted thereon ahandle 55 of a splitting blade 56 whose spring 5'? urges the cuttingedge 58 towards the apricot 25.

On the base II is mounted a screw 59 Whose head 60 is provided with apair of upturned points GI upon which the apricot 25 is placed by theoperator so that the crease or groove in the apricot is in line with theknife edge 59. A look nut 52 is provided to hold the screw 59 at thedesired elevation.

On the shaft 46 is secured a driving pulley 63 and also a pair of gears55 which are wide enough to mesh with the gears 25 in any lateralposition. Power may be supplied to the pulley 63 from any convenientsource.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

An apricot 25 is placed on the head 50 and the pulley 63 made torevolve. Assuming that the parts were in the position shown in Figs. 1and 6, that is, with the gears 25 in line with the head 60 and spacedapart, it follows that further rotation of the cam 35 will allow thescrews 32 to drop from the lands 3% and permit the springs 30 to forcethe points 24 into the apricot 25 and 3 suspend it. As the roller 2!drops off of the supporting surface 36, the arms [8 are swung toward theshaft 46 until the gears 20 come into mesh with the gears 64. As the cam35 continues to revolve on the surface 38A the splitting cut continues,after which the cam surface 38 moves the gears out of mesh and separatesthe gears 20, permitting the apricot halves and pits to fall onto aconveyor 65 or to be otherwise disposed of.

I claim:

1. An apricot splitter having in combination a base having an aperturetherein, upright standards mounted on said base, a horizontal rock shaftat the top of said standards, pendant arms hinged to said rock shaftcapable of limited movement in the plane of said rock shaft and also Imovement normal to the shaft axis, a horizontal drive shaft journallingin the lower portion of said standards behind the center of saidaperture, a cam shaft on said standards above the center of saidaperture, gearing for driving said camshaft from said drive shaft, aroller carried by said pendant arms, a radial cam on said cam shaftengaging said roller, a spring for urging said roller toward said cam,springs for urging the lower ends of said arms together, said radial camhaving lateral cam surfaces formed thereon, screws mounted in said armsengaging said lateral cam surfaces, a fruit rotating gear mounted on thelower end of each pendant arm, inwardly pointing fruit engaging spikesmounted on said gears, broad-faced driving gears on said drive shaftadapted to engage said fruit rotating gears and. a tiltable knife oversaid aperture having a spring for urging its cutting edge toward thefruit held between the fruit rotating gears.

2. An apricot splitter having in combination a pair of uprightstandards, a pair of spaced pendant arms hinged at the upper ends ofsaid standards, a spring for urging said arms in one direction, a camfor swinging said arms in opposition to said spring, a second cam forchanging the spacings of the lower ends of said arms, a geared apricotengaging center mounted on the lower end of each arm adapted to hold anapricot therebetween, 9, supporting head mounted below and between saidcenters when in an outermost position on said standards adapted to meshwith said center gears when moved together by said first mentioned cam,and a yieldable knife mounted in the median plane between said centershaving a spring for urgin said knife against the pit of an apricot heldbetween said centers.

3. An apricot splitter having in combination a pair of spaced uprightstandards, horizontal rock shaft mounted across the upper end of saidstandards, a pair of pendant arms supported by said shaft, the lowerends of said arms having rotatable geared apricot engaging centersfacing each other, an apricot supporting head disposed in the medianplane between said centers, a yieldable knife disposed in said medianplane, drive gears on said frame adapted to engage the gears on saidcenters when said centers are moved away from said supporting head,springs urging said arms together away from said supporting head andcams opposed to said springs for moving said arms apart and away fromsaid knife.

4. An apricot splitter having in combination a base, a pair of uprightstandards mounted on said base, a rock shaft journalling in the upperends of said standards, a pair of arms hinged to said shaft capable ofswinging in plane passing through the axis of said shaft, springs forurging said arms together, a geared apricot turning center on the lowerend of each arm, a drive shaft journalling in the lower ends of saidstandards, elongated drive gears on said drive shaft in the paths ofsaid center turning gears, a spring for urging said turning gears tomesh with said drive gears, a cam shaft journalling in said standards,driven from said drive shaft, a cam on said cam shaft opposed to saidspring, a Second cam on said cam shaft for urging said arms apart, asupporting head between said arms and under said turning centers when attheir maximum distance from said drive gears and a yieldable slittingknife in the plane of said supporting head at the opposite end of thearm swing adapted to engage an apricot held between said centers whilebeing rotated by said drive gears.

JOHN C. STROEVE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

